Larry leaving ... his imprint on Knicks already

1. The Bigs Will Run: Jerome James and Eddy Curry had better get in shape, because they're going to be doing a lot of 94-foot sprints this year. Under Larry Brown's system, the center has to race down the court, in both directions.

Larry Brown has gotten the Knicks' attention.

"I want them in front of the ball like Dave Cowens used to be and Buck [Williams] used to be," said Brown.

That's an adjustment for James, who could run up the court at a more leisurely pace in Seattle.

"In Seattle I was a screening center," said James. "I'd come down and set a pick for Rashard Lewis. [Brown] wants the big guys down there first, getting early position."

James was one of the first training-camp casualties as a result of his efforts to play Brown's way. He began sprinting up the court during an outlet-pass drill and strained his left hamstring, sidelining him for the rest of Wednesday's practice. James said he'd never had hamstring trouble before, but he'd never had to play under this system before either.

At any rate, he was hardly surprised by the timing of his injury.

"The second day is the hardest," said James. "Your body is tired and sore, your muscles are fatigued, but you're still trying to go hard."

2. Don't Bury Allan Houston Just Yet: Allan Houston wanted to give his knee one more go in training camp before hanging up his sneakers, and he's encouraged by the early results. While he's not up to the full itinerary of two-a-days that his teammates are running, Houston is further along than he expected.